LJ COUNTRY DAY DEPTH PUT TO THE TEST BY BISHOP’S

When you have a one-girl team, there’s always the danger your standout player finally will be slowed and there will be no one else to pick up the scoring.

La Jolla Country Day’s girls were looking at just such a scenario when Kelsey Plum scored only four points in the first half, but freshman Mai-loni Hensen kept the Torreys in the game with a season-high 20 points to deliver a 49-39 victory over Bishop’s on Friday in Viejas Arena.

Plum recovered to score 19 points and pull down 18 rebounds as LJCD, the defending state champion, won the San Diego Section Division IV title for the fourth straight season.

This game was unusual enough, but both teams looked especially out of sync the first quarter. The officials sheepishly discovered they were using a boys basketball.

Hensen seemed to benefit most with the correct ball as she scored 11 second-quarter points to keep the Torreys within two, setting up a 21-6 third-quarter explosion that held up when Bishop’s inched back to within five before LJCD scored the final five points.

“I felt I should step up when Kelsey got in foul trouble,” said Hensen.

Plum had four fouls early in the fourth quarter, which limited her ability to drive, but she buried 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch and outrebounded every player on the court.

“This is definitely my most memorable championship,” said Plum, who is headed to the University of Washington.